Chapter 78: Imperial Consort

Cining Temple.

Jun Zechen sat upright on the side of the couch, his expression calm and dignified, his eyes deep and reserved.

The Queen Mother was leaning on the other side of the couch in a relaxed posture. She turned her head slightly and looked at Jun Zechen calmly.

"Why did the emperor come to Cining Palace today?"

There was a hint of curiosity on the Queen Mother's face.

"I came here today to discuss something with my mother."

Jun Zechen's voice was neither fast nor slow, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised with a faint smile, and his eyes revealed a hint of seriousness.

"Now, Concubine Chun Shu is in charge of most of the affairs in the harem. Originally, Concubine Chun Shu gave birth to the eldest prince, so she should have been given the position of noble concubine when I ascended the throne. So this time during the Flower Festival, I want to promote Concubine Chun Shu."

Jun Zechen looked towards the Queen Mother and turned the ring unconsciously.

"The Emperor wants to promote Consort Chun Shu to Noble Consort?"

A strange color flashed across the Queen Mother's eyes, her brows slightly frowned, and the expression on her face became somewhat complicated.

Concubine Chun Shu is now undoubtedly the number one person in the harem. She is in charge of the affairs of the six palaces and has never made any mistakes. She is of noble birth and has a prince by her side. Now it seems that she is even more favored by the emperor.

Just because she was promoted to the rank of Noble Consort, wasn't the Emperor afraid that Consort Chun Shu would become the target of public criticism?

The position of empress is extremely tempting to the women in the harem.

Jun Zechen shook his head lightly, his movements firm.

"No, I want to confer the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon Consort Chun Shu." As he said this, there was a gleam of determination in his eyes.

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows slightly, her long and thin eyebrows slightly raised with a hint of surprise.

"The Emperor appointed Consort Chun Shu as Imperial Noble Consort. Is he planning to appoint her as Empress in the future?"

"Yes, there are many people in the harem now, and we need a queen to lead the harem. Concubine Chun Shu is worthy of the title." Jun Zechen said affirmatively, with a firm look in his eyes.

The Queen Mother lowered her head slightly, stretched out her fingers, gently pinched the teacup, brought the cup to her lips, took a small sip of tea, and her thoughts raced.

Originally, the emperor had already begun to favor the new bride after she entered the palace, but the empress dowager wanted to test Concubine Chun Shu's magnanimity.

Now, Concubine Chun Shu is the only one with a child in the harem. If she becomes the empress and shows her vicious side, preventing the birth of other princes of the emperor, then...

Since the emperor came to her today and told her that he wanted to make Concubine Chun Shu the empress, it seemed that Concubine Chun Shu had completely eliminated Concubine Ling from the emperor's heart.

It's really amazing, the Queen Mother raised her head and asked.

"Why didn't the Emperor directly promote Consort Chun Shu to Empress?"

There was a hint of inquiry in her eyes, but her facial expression remained calm.

"Mother." Jun Zechen turned slightly to face the Queen Mother with a serious look on his face.

"The Imperial Noble Consort was originally in the same position as the Vice Empress. After Consort Chun Shu was promoted to the Imperial Noble Consort, the position of Empress was reserved for her."

"After Consort Chun Shu is promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, she will officially enter the probation period of the Queen Mother. If she can gain the Queen Mother's support, Consort Chun Shu will naturally become the Queen in the name of honor."

For such an important matter as enthroning the empress, one must obtain the consent of the queen mother and the support of the ministers of the previous dynasty.

When Jun Zechen first ascended the throne, he did not want to appoint a queen too quickly. One reason was because Ling Yue was not capable enough. He wanted Ling Yue to help him manage the six palaces and then gain his mother's approval. After all, she was his first wife.

only......

Jun Zechen was completely disappointed with her for what happened during this period. She was unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the mother of the country.

And now in Jun Zechen's eyes, Yaoyao is the only candidate for the queen in his mind.

But the Queen Mother is in charge of the Queen's Seal, and if Yaoyao wants to become the Queen, she must gain the Queen Mother's approval.

Jun Zechen also believed in her ability to manage the affairs of the imperial court. When she was managing the six palaces before, Jun Zechen was very satisfied with some of the plans she came up with, and she was also fair and selfless when dealing with disputes among the concubines.

Her family background was high enough to suppress all the women in the harem.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. The Emperor really considered Concubine Chun Shu a lot.

"I am already satisfied with Concubine Chun Shu. If you had not married Concubine Ling back then, Concubine Chun Shu would have been your Crown Princess."

The Queen Mother spoke softly, with a hint of reminiscence on her face and a hint of emotion in her eyes.

Then he continued, "The Emperor made a good decision to promote Consort Chun Shu to Imperial Noble Consort. Not only will I test her during this period, but so will the ministers of the previous dynasty. The Empress is not only your wife, but also the mother of the monarch and the country."

"The empress cannot just please the emperor like a concubine. Instead, she has the obligation to advise the emperor. Therefore, magnanimity and fairness are the important criteria for the empress."

When the Queen Mother said these words, her expression was serious and her eyes were full of majesty.

The Queen Mother's real consideration is whether the Emperor's son can be born from the wombs of other concubines. If the Queen is jealous and vicious, it will affect not only the harem, but the entire monarchy. She will never let such a thing happen.

"What the Queen Mother said makes sense. I understand."

Jun Zechen responded quickly, he lowered his head slightly, but there was a trace of worry in his eyes.

He knew that Yaoyao cared about him and was already jealous now, so it was impossible for her to persuade him to treat everyone equally.

But it doesn't matter. By promoting her to the rank of Imperial Consort, she was also telling everyone in the harem not to be obsessed with the position of Empress.

Now that he has promoted another favorite concubine, the short-term goal of the other concubines in the harem cannot be the high-ranking Imperial Concubine, but the "favored concubine" who seems to be able to be easily brought down.

With the "favored concubine", the ministers of the previous dynasty would not have any dissatisfaction with Yaoyao. In addition, considering the status of Shangshu Ling Su in the previous dynasty, it would not be difficult for Yaoyao to secure the position of empress.

"Concubine Chun Shu has been planning to host a family banquet for the Flower Festival these days. At that time, I will issue an imperial decree to confer the title of Imperial Noble Concubine on Concubine Chun Shu and let her officially lead the harem." Jun Zechen continued.

"Since the Emperor has conferred the title of Imperial Consort upon me, the Imperial Household Department in my hands will be handed over to the Imperial Consort, and I will be able to enjoy the company of my grandchildren."

As the Queen Mother spoke, a relieved smile appeared on her face.

"I know that Concubine Chun Shu has been busy these days. She sends people to bring Xing Xing to me every day. I know she is lazy."

The Queen Mother joked with a smile, her smile becoming more loving.

"Concubine Chun Shu knew that you loved Xingxing, so she asked someone to bring Xingxing here." When Jun Zechen saw his mother mention Xingxing, a smile appeared on his face.

"Xingxing is your eldest prince and will be your legitimate son in the future. I will naturally love him very much. However, the emperor has been on the throne for almost five months, and now only Concubine Chu is pregnant."

"After Concubine Chu gave birth to the heir, according to her position, she cannot raise the heir. What is the emperor going to do?"

The Queen Mother's expression became serious, she stared at Jun Zechen closely and asked seriously.

"Mother." Jun Zechen frowned slightly, a hint of disgust flashing across his face.

"Beauty Chu framed Concubine Chun Shu, she is vicious. I hate her as the mother of the heir to the throne. If she were not pregnant, I would have banished her to the cold palace. If her child is born, I will give it to Concubine Ling. This is what I promised Concubine Ling before."

Jun Zechen said this with a slight sigh in his heart. Thinking of Concubine Ling, his heart was filled with complicated emotions.

The child of Lady Chu is the only compensation he can give her if she still cannot reflect on herself in the future.

Then... he won't show mercy.

The empress dowager nodded and sighed in her heart. Things in the world are unpredictable. The emperor at that time vowed to leave the position of empress to Concubine Ling, but what about now?

"What about Miss Chu?" the Queen Mother asked.

"After Concubine Chu gives birth to the royal heir, she will be handed over to Concubine Chun Shu for disposal." Jun Zechen said indifferently with an expressionless face.

"Emperor, if Concubine Chu has made a great contribution in giving birth to an imperial heir, her father is still the Minister of Personnel. You cannot treat her so casually." The Queen Mother said somewhat dissatisfiedly.

Jun Zechen frowned. The reason why he handed Miss Chu over to Yaoyao was actually because of his own selfish motives.

No matter how you look at it, Lady Chu was the murderer who killed him and Yaoyao's child. If he punished her too leniently, he was worried that Yaoyao would be dissatisfied and thus complain about him.

If it is handed over to Yaoyao directly, Yaoyao will not be too harsh on Miss Chu, after all......

If the Minister of Personnel wanted to save Lady Chu, he would certainly ask Shang Shu Ling Su for help, and Yao Yao knew how to do it.

Thinking of this, Jun Zechen's eyes revealed a complex look. In fact, he wanted Yaoyao to be his favorite concubine under his wing, but he didn't want anyone to put pressure on Yaoyao. If Yaoyao became the queen, she would definitely see a lot of secrets in the harem like her mother, and would be connected with the previous dynasty.

Jun Zechen didn't know if she would change, but he was afraid that his feelings towards her would change.

"Mother, I trust Concubine Chun Shu. She will never let me down."

Jun Zechen felt a little guilty. He was taking advantage of Yaoyao's concern for her because Yaoyao cared about his thoughts and always considered everything from his perspective.

Therefore, Jun Zechen believed that Yaoyao's treatment of Lady Chu would yield a result that would satisfy both him and the Queen Mother.

Jun Zechen stopped discussing the matter with the Queen Mother and said, "Mother, the status of the concubines in the harem is indeed too low. I plan to confer titles not only on the Imperial Consort but also on the Six Palaces during the Flower Festival family banquet."

The Queen Mother nodded in agreement.

At first, Concubine Ling did give the new bride a position that was too low, but the emperor agreed to this position, so the empress dowager naturally couldn't say anything.

"It's up to the Emperor to decide," the Queen Mother said softly, closing her eyes slightly.

Jun Zechen had a calm expression. After coming out of Cining Palace, he walked steadily towards Zhaochun Palace.

After he stepped into the palace, he quickly scanned the room and only saw Miaoyun, Concubine Chunshu's personal maid.

Jun Zechen frowned slightly, "Where is your master?"

Miaoyun bowed quickly and then said, "The master is in the study preparing for the Flower Festival family banquet. The two Shangyis in charge of this matter are also in the study reporting to the master."

Jun Zechen nodded slightly after hearing this, and then walked towards the study.

At this moment, two Shangyi happened to come out of the study.

The two ministers were startled at first, then they knelt down hastily and said in unison: "Your Majesty, your humble servants are here to see you."

"Get up."

Jun Zechen said this expressionlessly, and before he finished speaking, he walked into the study.

When Su Jingyao heard his voice, she put down the pen in her hand and walked to the door of the study.

The corners of her mouth slightly raised, with a happy smile in her eyes, she said softly: "Your Majesty, I am here to see you."

Jun Zechen stepped forward to help her up, and asked with a little confusion: "Why did you come out?"

Su Jingyao smiled and said, "I heard your majesty's voice. I was arranging the Flower Festival family banquet in the study. I just told the two eunuchs some precautions. Your majesty is here, so of course I have to accompany you."

As Su Jingyao spoke, she took Jun Zechen's arm affectionately and led him towards the bedroom with light steps.

Just now in the study, in addition to carefully arranging the family dinner, she was also carefully checking the news conveyed by the spies arranged among concubines such as Concubine Lin and Ye Ronghua.

She was in charge of the entire family dinner, so naturally she had to nip any uncertainties in the bud.

Of course, Jun Zechen couldn't see all this, so she quickly took Jun Zechen away from the study.